


Takedown

by lorcathegreat



Series: Shadow Borne: Garrett's Origins [2]
Category: Thief (Video Games)
Genre: shadow borne, teen garrett
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-20
Updated: 2014-09-20
Packaged: 2018-02-18 03:43:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2334017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lorcathegreat/pseuds/lorcathegreat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Garrett learns a few lessons, the first one being how to take down a guard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Takedown

The night was warm, the day’s mugginess yet to be swept away by the chill of night. The last bit of light still clung to the horizon, but the shadows of The City were already deep.

These Garrett claimed, melting into them and becoming one with the concealing dark they provided. He swept over the rooftops of Stonemarket and made his way to Auldale. For two years he had come to know the lower city well and only just recently had he deemed his skills sharp enough to venture into more unfamiliar territory. The rich district of Auldale to the north was his next venture and he took the challenge with a smirk and a large empty sack hanging on his belt.

This was his second time going into that rich district, filled with such riches and wealth that he was almost giddy with anticipation. That first venture he had come across a few new obstacles: personal house guards and traps. After barely dodging a barrage of bolts that shot out of a wall as he stepped on a pressure plate, Garrett was sure to check where he stepped carefully. The guards were another matter entirely. They were not from the Watch and they were obviously paid in larger sums because the one he had come across had quite a hefty bit of coin on his person. That was quickly relieved of him, but it had been the only thing Garrett had taken from that estate. They were paid well and they did their job well. It was an obstacle that Garrett needed to get around or find a way to take down.

So Garrett came prepared for his second voyage. Strapped to his belt was a simple wooden blackjack. The fence who had offered it to him had explained how to use it.

“Just whack em’ once on the back o’ the head. They go right down, all ragdoll-like.” That was the instruction. Simple enough.

Garrett crept along a balcony in the richer district, careful to avoid treading on the crunchy leaves gathered there. He spotted a newspaper and glanced at the date. The year was 826. Garrett did some quick math. That would make him something like fifteen years old. He shrugged it off. Age was just a number. He was skilled enough to do what he needed and every year he grew stronger. It was only a matter of time before he could take on a whole mansion of guards on high alert. Easy.

Garrett swept over the railing and crept around the narrow ledge, coming across a window that was his entry point. He shoved the lightweight crowbar in and with effort the latch gave way and he was in. He stepped lightly on the tiled floor, noting that he was in a bathroom. A claw-footed bathtub stood in one corner opposite a flush toilet.

_Even the stuff they shit on is nice._

Garrett was tempted to sabotage the plumbing, unscrew the pipes just enough to make the residents miserable. He pushed the idea away. It was too petty, but it would make a rather amusing show if he stayed around to watch. Too bad he was not planning on staying.

After a perfume bottle, a gilded hand mirror, and a nice bar of soap - his own supply was running low - Garrett crept out of the room. He found himself in a long hallway, a plush rug running its length. Not giving it too much thought, he tried the door handle to his right and smirked when it opened before him. The hinges did not even creak. He found himself in a bedroom, the sound of heavy snoring issuing from the canopied bed in the corner.

Garrett quickly swept through the room, trying out every drawer he could find. He came across some rather nice cufflinks and a pen that would fetch a pretty coin. With that room emptied, Garrett returned to the door, stopping only to smirk back at the sleeping man.

_Sleep well, rich man. Thank you for your donation_.

The next bedroom was empty and had little in terms of valuable items. The guest room, Garrett figured.

_You keep your treasures close and don’t trust anyone who enters your house. That is a good move, but I bet you didn’t think I’d be one of your guests_.

Garrett smirked at himself, moving on to the next room. This was far too easy. They were almost asking to be stolen from. He finished off the first story easily and then delved into the floor below. The office proved to be quite profitable and he even found an interesting book to take back with him.

This house was simply too easy. He could have danced through the whole thing and still left unnoticed.

That was his thought before he heard the light cough from down the hall.

Garrett stilled immediately, halfway through the door to the office, senses sparking alive. Footsteps, only slightly muffled on the plush rug that stretched from the stairs to the front door. Approaching. Garrett crept backwards, pulling the door almost shut as he continued to peer out of it and upon the man approaching.

That was why it had been so easy. The rich family had thought that hiring one massive guard to watch the house while they slept would keep them safe. The man was quite a brute, Garrett had to admit. He had both a sword at his hip and a crossbow in his hands. Garrett stared at him through the crack in the door, jolting back as the guard’s gaze moved in his direction.

A gruff grunt issued from the man’s throat. “Could’ve sworn that was closed ‘afore.” Garrett slipped into the shadows and crept behind a high-backed chair just as the guard pushed his way into the room. “Hello?” The guard called into the room. Garrett did not move. “Stupid drafts,” the guard grumbled. The door was shut and Garrett dared look around the chair. The guard had gone.

Too easy. Smirking to himself, he crept back to the door and listened to the man’s muffled steps walk down the hall. He pressed through the door, readying his blackjack. One swift strike at the back of the head. That was all it took, right?

On silent feet, Garrett crept up behind him, almost shocked to find that the man stood almost two feet taller. It did not matter. Every man would fall with the right amount of force. He readied himself, knuckles white on his blackjack.

That was when the guard turned.

“What-”

Garrett panicked and continued his swipe, the blackjack hitting the man square in the ear.

He did not go down.

He was supposed to go down with one swift hit.

At least the blow had dazed the guard. Garrett swept to the side, readying another strike. That one landed on the man’s neck and he let out a frustrated roar, swinging his crossbow as if he thought it was his sword. Garrett swiftly dodged, feeling as though he barely had control over his motions and he was watching himself move. Two more strikes, then one last blow that finally hit the back of the man’s head.

The floor practically shook when the guard struck the ground with a groan. Garrett stood over him, blackjack still in his steel grip while the rest of him felt like quivering jelly.

_One hit, my ass_. _I’d get a refund but I doubt that fence would take it back._

Garrett stared down at the huge man sprawled in the middle of the entryway. That was when another thought struck him. He had not thought beyond the takedown. Now he had a large man lying in the middle of the way, an easy thing to see and a red flag that practically screamed that something was wrong. He had to be moved.

Garrett tucked away his blackjack and made sure his loot bag was securely tied at his belt. With all the determination he could muster, Garrett bent and hoisted the man up. He got the man about halfway off the floor before his strength gave out. The guard hit the carpet with a dead thud, Garrett barely catching himself before he too joined the pile. He was heavier than Garrett had anticipated.

Garrett gritted his teeth, coming at it from a different angle. He crouched beside the man, lifting him just enough to get the man’s stomach over his shoulder. So far so good. Garrett grunted, bringing his legs beneath him. With a feat of strength, he stood. For the briefest of moments he thought he had it. He balanced the weight well.

Then he took a step.

The world seemed to tilt below him, an unrelenting force that could never be conquered sweeping him to the side. One moment he was confidently standing with the guard over his shoulder, the next he was on the ground, the air crushed out of his lungs by what felt like the weight of the whole City on top of him. Garrett reached out, trying to get a grip on something, _anything_ that would help him get out from underneath the hulking unconscious guard.

He scrambled for purchase on anything, the whole of his mid section locked down by the dead weight with only his feet free to kick uselessly. Garrett eventually stilled, resigned to his fate of being crushed to death by that huge unconscious guard. He could get used to the weight, but the _smell_. Garrett had smelled some pretty rank individuals around The City, but this man seemed to be festering in his own body odor. He was surprised he had not smelled the guard from down the hallway. If he ever got out of this heavy situation, Garrett was going to have to scrub his clothes to get rid of the man’s stench that was undoubtedly seeping into him.

Garrett sighed. He had thought, _known_ that he was strong enough to carry that man. He could lift himself up ledges with ease; his muscles were getting stronger by the day. But one simple guard? Garrett gritted his teeth.

Garrett had decided to wait for the guard to begin waking up to get away just when there was a noise from upstairs. It seemed he did not have the time for that luxury.

With a redoubled effort, Garrett managed to muster up some leverage and wiggle his way out from underneath the guard. Now on high alert, Garrett had to move fast. The only thing was, he had barely moved the man a single pace. A new strategy was needed. Garrett gripped the man’s ankles, even the weight of his legs a burden to bear. He heaved with all his might and could have cheered as he managed to pull the man along the length of the carpet towards the open office door.

A shadow out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he dropped the guard, ducking away and covering his head with his arms. A huge, hulking figure reached towards him and Garrett leapt away, the beast massive and-

Stuffed. Garrett’s chest heaved as he looked up at the massive taxidermy hovering over him, the wide mouth open in a perpetually silent roar. Garrett scowled up at the bear, anger and a touch of shame boiling up in his chest.

_I bet blackjacking you would prove to be more effective than blackjacking this guard._

Bitter and chiding himself for getting so startled over that taxidermy bear, Garrett continued dragging his burden across the floor. He did not give a second thought as the man’s face dragged over the carpet and later the wooden floor. He deserved it for being too heavy and hard to take down.

Eventually Garrett dragged the guard behind the chair he had hid behind before. Surely that was far enough away that any casually wandering eye would not see him. There was another bump from upstairs. Time to make his leave.

He had caused too much commotion and the rest of the downstairs rooms had to go unexplored. Garrett did not want to come across any traps in his haste to finish sweeping through the rooms. He did not need any more surprises that night.

Garrett turned to exit the office and gave one final glance at the guard. He smirked and returned to the man. He opened the pouch at his waist, relieving the man of what undoubtedly was that evening’s wages and replacing it with a much more needed item.

_I hope you catch the hint. You need this more than I do_.

Garrett secured the pouch shut, surprised that the bar of soap fit perfectly within. With that, he made his hasty departure, scowling up at the bear as he passed it by.

So Garrett left the manor with new lessons under his belt and with a hefty blow to his pride. At least he had enough loot to soothe that hurt and he had done his good deed. Now he just needed more soap to rub the guard’s stench out of his own clothes. He only hoped that the next house did not have a dog. It would undoubtedly get alerted with the first whiff.

**Author's Note:**

> The bear. The damned bear.  
> So this kind of happens between Chapter 12 and Chapter 13 of my fic Shadow Borne. Special thanks to Haethel and Sorrowsfall (aka Brohne) for the drunken night of livestreaming Thief that gave birth to this idea.


End file.
